Shoulder down, perfect angle, 220 pounds of brute force traveling at the speed of an NFL game. Another 200 pounds, coming right at that shoulder, desperate, lunging, collision.

Force A meets force B, and Terrell Thomas is upended. The New York Giants cornerback didn't have a chance against Knowshon Moreno, and though the play was negated by a penalty, it was the kind of hit that makes a fan pause and gasp and wonder how on earth it feels to have the snot knocked out of him.

In many a game, that might have been Moreno's biggest impact, a solid block, a few short runs. Nothing special, nothing consequential. In his first four years in Denver, the running back averaged 4.0 yards per carry, and with the Broncos' explosive passing game in 2013, his role seemed poised to remain limited.

On Sunday, though, limited went out the window. Moreno finished with 93 yards rushing and two touchdowns, the most productive of the Broncos' running backs, by far, in their 41-23 victory over the Giants. It was a career night for the New Jersey native, who had never logged two touchdowns with more than 90 yards rushing in a game in his NFL career.

"It felt good," Moreno said when asked if playing in front of more than 20 family members and friends made the night more special. "It felt good, but no. Any win always feels special. ... If we got a loss, it wouldn't feel that good."

With the team's uncertainty at running back, a performance like Moreno's could be a bid for something bigger. A starting job, more time on the field, trust — the fifth-year rusher may be inching closer, even if he deflected any praise after the game to his team. It was as if to admit his success would be to jinx it, or to admit that some might have thought he was beneath it.

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Going into the season, it came as a surprise to many when Moreno, not Ronnie Hillman, earned a starting job, but starting wasn't quite the status symbol it might have seemed. The running backs seemed to function as a sort of platoon, a secondary option to the team's receivers. They were the ugly stepchildren of a dynamic offense, rushing for only 65 yards while Peyton Manning passed for 462 against Baltimore.

So on Sunday, even if all Moreno did was make coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Adam Gase pause, that's something. Gase said Thursday that he'd like to have a more balanced offense than he put on the field in Week 1, and Moreno agrees with that tactic. He's not pushing it, though; it'll come naturally.

"You don't have to go outside yourself and try to make plays," Moreno said. "You just have to go out there, do the keys, make sure you're doing the right thing, and those things will come."

We're a long way from a change in Moreno's story, from any grand declaration of disappointment made good, draft pick turned bona fide NFL starter. Sunday was a start, though, and when not even a laughing question was asked about that shudder-inducing block after the game, that's progress. When it's Moreno the cameras wait for, that's a step in the right direction, even if he's focused too much on the team to deliver the self-congratulatory sound bite.

There might be a front-runner pulling out of the Broncos' gaggle of hapless rushers, but if there is, Moreno is a long way from admitting any more than a solid team effort. For a two-week-old running game still finding its legs, that's probably the prudent move.